5.6-magnitude earthquake hits Queensland, felt in Brisbane

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 has struck Queensland in eastern Australia, with shaking felt as far away as Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, according to seismologists and local residents. There were no immediate reports of serious damage.

The earthquake, which struck at 9:49 a.m. local time on Saturday, was centered near the small town of Goomeri in the Gympie Region, about 90 kilometers northwest of Sunshine Coast or 150 kilometers northwest of Brisbane.

Geoscience Australia said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 with a depth of 10 kilometers, making it a very shallow earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude substantially lower, at 4.9.

There were no immediate reports of major damage, but Energex said crews were investigating power outages near the earthquake epicenter. About 11,000 customers were reportedly affected between Fraser Coast, Burrum Heads, and Murgon.

Saturday’s earthquake was widely felt across the region, including in Gympie, Kingaroy, Sunshine Coast, Caboolture, Esk, Kilcoy, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Hervey Bay, according to local residents.

“The whole house shook and the windows were rattling,” Amber Cowan, from Sunshine Coast, told BNO News. “It didn’t last too long but long enough to have us feeling a bit shocked.”

Nicky Boaden, from Tamaree, said their home was shaken by a strong vibration. “The tremor was powerful enough to set our ceiling fans swaying and cause the crockery to rattle inside cupboards,” Boaden said. “Strangely the bushland behind our home fell completely silent. There was not a single bird call that could be heard, unusual for our area. Their calls have since returned. But the moment was eerily still.”

In Teneriffe, Leighton Cochran described feeling about 30 seconds of “definite motion” at a 5-storey building. “Notable sway of plants and chairs. Different from construction vibrations we get around here. No noise. Smooth and continuous,” Cochran wrote.

Meanwhile, Gerard Garthe from Caboolture wrote: “The quake shook our house. I was outside in the yard reading. Could hear the house shaking, only lasted 15-20 seconds.”

Calvin Rayer from Bundaberg also described feeling a shockwave: “It it went through my house and shook my bed, almost as if someone was standing there shoving it backwards and forwards. My mother was in her rised house, and it was swaying greatly.”